[Series] Evolving concepts in the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis

April 10, 2017

The Lancet 389, 10076 (2017)

Author: Giancarlo Comi, Marta Radaelli, Per Soelberg Sørensen

In the past 20 years the treatment scenario of multiple sclerosis has radically changed. The increasing availability of effective disease-modifying therapies has shifted the aim of therapeutic interventions from a reduction in relapses and disability accrual, to the absence of any sign of clinical or MRI activity. The choice for therapy is increasingly complex and should be driven by an appropriate knowledge of the mechanisms of action of the different drugs and of their risk-benefit profile. Because the relapsing phase of the disease is characterised by inflammation, treatment should be started as early as possible and aim to re-establish the normal complex interactions in the immune system.